Method of manufacturing insoluble sulphur



W sn g Artur series p I f 1,923,733

M'E'rnon or MANUFACTURING INSOLUBLE I SULPHUR I Albert J Gracia,,Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, assignor? to" The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, at Corporation of Ghio NoDrawing: ,Application October 5, 1932 Serial No. 63 6,351i n Claims. (Clea-224)- This invention relates to a process or" manu will generally be found desirableto dry .the' in-' facturing insoluble sulphur, More particularsolublesulphur. a ly, it relates to a method of treating flowers In this process either the amount ofbenzene of sulphur or .similarrnixtures of soluble and used or" the temperature of the solution may be insoluble sulphurs so as to obtain a mixture of varied in order to obtain the desired mixture 59 sulphur'scontainin'g insolublesulphur in a'prdof sulphurs. .Thus, when an amount of benzener portion higher than that inwhich it is present insufficient to dissolve all the soluble sulphur in in the starting material. ,In the rubber industry," the mixture of sulphursis employed, the excess among others, it is -irequently desirable to emsoluble'sulphur will remain undissolved with the l0 ployinsolublesulphuritseli or mixtures of solu insoluble sulphur. For maximum einciency it bleisulphur and insoluble sulphur in which the. will usually be desirable to heat thematerials in proportion of insoluble sulphur is relatively high. the neighborhood of the boiling point of benzene Thus, one of the'principalobjects of the in? (80 degrees C;) and vary the quantities ofbenvention' is. the provision of a' simple method for acne used in order to obtain the percentage of obtaining a mixture of soluble and insoluble sulinsoluble sulphur desired in the final product. 70

to 100%." By taking advantage of the fact that suspension, the mixture is heated to 89 degrees a phurs containing insoluble sulphur in a pro- Although-it is to beunders'tood that a mixture portion higher than that in the starting mateof sulphurscontaining soluble andinsoluble sulrial. Another object is to provide aninexpenphurs in any-proportion may be employed, the sive, rapid methodfor-obtaining comparatively invention will be described in detail as applied 20' pure insoluble sulphur. Other objects and adto "-fiowers of sulphur fla commercial mixture vantagesvvillbecome-apparent as the descripcontaining insoluble and soluble'sulphurs in'the tion of the invention proceeds. 1 approximate proportions of thirty and seventy This invention resides in the discovery that percent, respectively. Thus, in; the preparation by heating mixtures of benzene and flowers of 'of a mixture of vsulphurs, to contain eighty persulphur or similar mixtures of soluble and in- "cent insoluble and twenty percent soluble, from soluble sulphurs, hot filtering the material, and flowers of sulphur, 55 .gallons of benzene and drying the undissolved material, insoluble sul- -52 poundsof flowers of sulphur are placed in phur may be obtainedin any proportion varya 'jacketed extraction kettle. With agitation. ing from its percentage in the starting material sufficient to maintain the sulphur in a state of insoluble sulphur, or, S mu as it isirequently C., the boiling point of benzene, and there recalled, issubstantially insoluble in benzene and fiuxed for approximately one hour. ,7

soluble sulphur, or S lambda, is rather soluble .Atv the expiration of this period the batch is in benzene'at elevated temperatures and orny filtered through a steam-heated filter press *slightly soluble" at ordinary temperatures, sepamaintained at approximately 30 degrees C. The 9 a V 100 grams benzene. Thus, knowingthe pro+ of'20 pounds, contains approximately 30% of incalculated amounts of the starting materials removed by filtration, leaving the recovered benration may be easily accomplished. 'The soluundissolved sulphur in the heated press is then bility of S lambda in benzene at-its boiling point, dried with air for about one half hour after which" degrees'Q, is 11.7 grams per grams ben-, it is discharged and permitted to dry further in zone and at 20 degrees C. is only 1.7 grams per the open air. The product, obtained in a yield portion of insoluble sulphurin the'mixture ,of. soluble sulphur'and 20% of soluble sulphur.

sulphurs, and the solubility of S lambda in ben- The benzene filtrate isallowed to cool to room zeneat thetemperature at which the materials temperature whereupon nearly all the soluble are to'be heated, it is simply necessary to agitate sulphur crystallizes out of' solution. It is then for a suificient length of time .at the requisite zeneready for use in extracting more"flowers temperature to permit the desired amount of. Sv of sulphur without the necessity for distillalambda to dissolve in the benzene. tion or other purificationprocesses. About 31 The next step is the hot filtration of the mapounds of quite pure soluble sulphur are ob-' 50 terial in suitable apparatus such as asteamtained.;

heated filter press maintained substantially at It is readilyapparent that. by this invention the temperature of the boiling solvent; In this. there is provided a simple, rapid and inexpensive step the insoluble sulphur 'portion'isundissolved, method of preparing amixture of sulphurs conleaving as, a filtrate the saturated solution of 'taining insoluble sulphur in a higher proportion 110 soluble sulphur in benzene. Following this it than in the original mixture. Also, by-employ- H ing ascertained amounts of benzene and sulphur may be made in theprocedure to be followed and the temperatures and proportions employed without departing from the inventive .concept. 7 It" is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable noveltyreside in the invention. 5

What is claimed is:

1. A process of preparing insoluble sulphur which comprises agitating a mixture of benzene sulphur.

and'flowers of sulphur at approximately 80 'de-' grees C., filtering the hot material and drying the 2. A, process of treating flowers of. sulphur whichcomprises agitating it with benzene, at a temperature just below the. boiling point of the benzene, filtering the hot' material and; drying the undissolved sulphur.

' 3. A process of treating flowers of. sulphur which comprises agitating it with benzene at a temperature just below the boiling point of the benzene and filtering the material in apparatus maintained at approximately said temperature. a 4. A process of treating flowers of sulphur 3 which comprisesa'gitating it with benzene at 80 degrees C. and filtering thehotvmaterial'in apparatus maintained at 80 degrees C. l

5. Aprocess of preparing insoluble sulphur and soluble sulphur in mixtures varying in the-proportion of insoluble sulphur from 30 percent to 100 percent, which comprises agitating flowers of sulphur with benzene at a temperature in the neighborhood of the, boiling pointof benzene;

filtering the hot material in apparatus maintained at said temperature and drying the precipitate.

6. A process of preparing insoluble sulphur and soluble sulphur in mixtures varying in the proportion of insoluble sulphur from 30 percent to 100 percent, which comprises agitating flowers of sulphur and benzene at a superatmospheric temperature and filtering the hot material in apparatus maintained at said temperature.

.7.' Aprocessof treating a mixture of insoluble and soluble sulphurs to give a composition of insoluble and soluble sulphurs of higher insoluble sulphur content which comprises agitating said mixture with benzene, refluxing the materials at the boiling point of the benzene and filtering the hot material-in apparatus maintained at approximately the same temperature. I

8. A process of preparing a mixture of'sulphurs in the approximate proportion of 80 percent insoluble sulphur and 20 percent soluble sulphur which comprises agitating and reflux-.

.ing, for approximately one'hour at a temperature in the neighborhood of 80 degrees 0., flowers of sulphur and benzene in'the approximate 0 proportions of 52 pounds of sulphur and 55 gallons of benzene, thereafter filtering the hot material in apparatus maintained at substantially the temperature of the refluxing operation.

9. A process of treating a mixture of insoluble 05 and soluble sulphurs which comprises mixing itwith benzene at a temperature just below'the boiling point of the benzene and filtering the material inapparatus maintained atapproximately said. temperature. 7 10. A process of treating a mixture of insoluble and soluble sulphurs which comprises mixing it with, benzene at a temperature just below the boiling point of the benzene, filtering the hotmaterial and drying the undissolved sulphur. 5

' 1 ALBERT J. GRACIA. 

